prefers-color-scheme is a CSS media feature that detects light or dark theme preferences of the user's operating system, allowing the website to automatically adapt to the appearance. 1. It is implemented through the @media rule, supporting three values: no-preference, light, and dark; 2. Developers can set different styles accordingly, such as setting the background to black and text to white in dark mode; 3. It is recommended to combine CSS variables and transition animations to improve maintainability and user experience; 4. Using this feature can enhance accessibility, improve user comfort, and be consistent with the operating system style; 5. Although it can be adapted automatically, it is often used in combination with manual switching buttons to provide greater flexibility. This method provides a simple and effective solution for client native support for dark mode.
The prefers-color-scheme
CSS media feature is used to detect a user's preferred color scheme—specifically whether they've chosen a light or dark theme at the operating system level. This allows websites to automatically adapt their appearance to match the user's system settings, improving readability and user experience.

It's commonly used with @media
rules to apply different styles based on the user's preference.
How It Works
You can use prefers-color-scheme
in three ways:

-
no-preference
– The user has not expressed a preference. -
light
– The user prefers a light color scheme. -
dark
– The user prefers a dark color scheme.
Practical Example
/* Default (light) theme */ body { background: white; color: black; } /* Apply dark theme if user prefers it */ @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { body { background: black; color: white; } } /* Optional: handle cases where user has no preference */ @media (prefers-color-scheme: no-preference) { body { /* Use system default or leave as is */ transition: background 0.5s ease; } }
Why Use It?
- User comfort : Respects user preferences for low-light environments.
- Accessibility : Helps users with visual sensitivity.
- Modern UX : Matches the look and feel of the OS and other apps.
You can also combine it with custom properties (CSS variables) for easier theme management:
:root { --bg-color: #ffffff; --text-color: #000000; } @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { :root { --bg-color: #000000; --text-color: #ffffff; } } body { background-color: var(--bg-color); color: var(--text-color); transition: background-color 0.3s ease; }
Note: Always include smooth transitions where possible to avoid jarring visual changes.

Basically, prefers-color-scheme
gives developers a simple, client-side way to support dark mode without needing a manual toggle—though many sites combine both for maximum flexibility.
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